Campus Community Reminded It’s Not Too Late for Census Participation

Cal Poly Pomona still has time to help shape our campus community’s future by participating in Census 2020.

The deadline for completing the Census has been extended in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone has until October 31, 2020 to self-respond by mail, by phone or online.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a nationwide tally each decade, which involves counting every person residing in the 50 states, District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.

Cal Poly Pomona will be counting students who live and intended to live in university Housing and the University Village prior to the campus’ transition to remote instruction. These students will be receiving an email communication from the university in the coming weeks about how this count will be conducted.

Students who reside off-campus will be counted in their respective communities and are encouraged to complete their Census survey as soon as possible. Census workers will begin to contact households in late August if they have not self-responded by the new deadline.

It is imperative that the entire campus community participate in the count because the results will have tangible impacts on the university, in the city of Pomona and throughout Los Angeles County.

Census data is used to determine everything from education funding to the construction of infrastructure to deciding how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I cannot overstate the importance of participating in the Census,” said Cal Poly Pomona President Soraya M. Coley. “Cal Poly Pomona attracts a diverse community to one of the most dynamic regions in the nation. Beyond being a civic duty, participating in the Census ensures that our campus’ impact in Pomona and Los Angeles County is reflected in federal policy and budget matters. I strongly urge each member of our campus community to participate.”

After the 2010 census, Los Angeles County missed out in an investment of about $670 million dollars due to people who were not counted. According to the Brookings Institute, California stands to lose representation in Congress if the region produces smaller numbers compared to the 2010 Census.